Carpenter ants in Southeast Asia are at risk of becoming zombies controlled by the parasitic fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis. The fungus invades the ants' bodies, weakening but not killing them. It then releases chemicals to take control of the ants' brains and compel them to leave their nests. The fungus guides the zombie ants to an ideal location, forces their jaws to lock in place on a leaf, and consumes their brains. Fruiting bodies then sprout from the ants' heads to release fungal spores, completing the life cycle of O. unilateralis.

1. Z O M B I E F U N G U S :
OPHIOCORDYCEPSUNILATERALIS
Z O M B I E V I C T I M :
CARPENTER ANT (CAMPONOTUS
LEONARDI)
L O C A T I ON :
SOUTHEASTASIA

2. Camponotus leonardi
ants live in the
rainforests of Southeast
Asia. In the search for
food, they wander away
from the safety of their
treetop nests and
journey down to the
forest floor. (Cordyceps
2013) It is a dangerous
trip, for the risk of
meeting the body -
snatching parasitic
fungus, Ophiocordyceps
unilateralis becomes a
frightening possibility.
O. unilateralis lurks
down there, waiting for
the opportunity to
invade the body of its
next host, The poor,
unsuspecting Carpenter
Ant.

3. When the fungus invades, it turns normal ants into zombies. A
few days ago, an O. lateralis spore landed on the ant. Tough
strands of fungus grew out of the spore and bored through the
ants exoskeleton, and began to spread throughout the ant’s
body, feeding on its organs and tissues, weakening the ant, but
not killing it. At first, the ant acts like its nest mates, but soon
its behavior changes as the fungus takes control and releases
chemicals into the ant’s brain, (De Bekker 2014) turning it into
a zombie with no will of its own, a creature that will do
whatever O. lateralis commands.

4. The fungus guides the
brainwashed ant away from the
colony to find a spot completely
ideal for the reproduction of
the fungi. Once the ant is made
to settle at a specific height on
a leaf, with optimum
temperature and humidity, O.
unilateralis switches on the
brain’s region of control for the
muscles in the ants jaw, forcing
it to lock itself in place on a leaf.
The ant host’s brain is then fully
devoured. The mycelia growing
in the body begins to grow on
the outside, strengthening the
bond between the exoskeleton
of the ant and the surface it is
attached to. Fruiting bodies
sprout from the ants head, and
once mature, burst open to
release spores into the air.